Xander Zayas (10-0, 7 KOs), the 19-year-old Puerto Rican-born prodigy who is the frontrunner for 2021 Prospect of the Year, will fight Dan Karpency in a six-round junior middleweight bout Saturday, Oct. 23 at State Farm Arena. Zayas-Karpency will serve as the co-feature to the “Throwdown in A-Town” main event between WBO junior lightweight world champion Jamel Herring and undefeated former featherweight world champion Shakur Stevenson.
Nico Ali Walsh (1-0, 1 KO), grandson of “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali, has an opponent for his second pro bout. Ali Walsh will face James Westley II (1-0), from Toledo, Ohio, in a four-round middleweight tilt.
Herring-Stevenson, Zayas-Karpency and Ali Walsh-Westley II will air live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes (simulcast on ESPN+) at 10:30 p.m. ET/7:30 p.m. PT.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.
Zayas said, “I am grateful to Top Rank and ESPN for this opportunity. Fighting underneath a main event like Herring-Stevenson, in front of the great Atlanta fans, is an honor. It will also be my first time fighting on ESPN as a co-feature, and I will not disappoint. My goal is to win Prospect of the Year, and I’m coming to Atlanta to put on a spectacular show. Don’t miss it.”
Zayas has been earmarked for stardom since signing with Top Rank as a 16-year-old in early 2019. He turned pro at 17 in October 2019 and notched four first-round stoppages in his first six outings. Zayas has been clocking overtime in 2021, as this will be his fifth appearance of the year. He shut out James Martin over six rounds in February, blew out Demarcus Layton in 56 seconds in April, grinded down Larry Fryers in three rounds in June, and dominated Jose Luis Sanchez over six rounds last month in Tucson, Arizona. Karpency (9-3-1, 4 KOs) has never been knocked out in an eight-year pro career. Zayas has only been the six-round distance twice as a pro, while Karpency has gone eight or more rounds on four occasions.
In undercard action streaming live and exclusively on ESPN+ (7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT), Atlanta’s Evan “Yung Holy” Holyfield (7-0, 5 KOs), son of heavyweight legend Evander Holyfield, will take on Charles Stanford (6-3, 3 KOs) in a six-round junior middleweight bout; Atlanta native Roddricus Livsey (8-0-1, 5 KOs) will battle Eric Palmer (12-14-5, 1 KO) in a six-rounder at junior welterweight; Georgia-born prospect Haven Brady Jr. (3-0, 3 KOs) will fight fellow unbeaten Roberto Negrete (3-0, 1 KO) in a four-rounder at featherweight; Chicago’s Antoine Cobb will make his pro debut in four-round junior welterweight bout; Brooklyn-born lightweight Harley Mederos (1-0, 1 KO) will fight in a four-rounder; and recent U.S. Olympian Troy Isley (2-0, 1 KO) will make his professional return in a six-rounder at middleweight.
TopRank